Tiger Tracker: Woods posts 2-under 68

Tiger Tracker: Woods posts 2-under 68

AKRON, Ohio — Tiger Woods entered the third round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 13 shots off the lead.

His performance Friday, especially on the greens, left a lot to be desired. And while Woods’ round Saturday wasn’t what he needed to make a charge up the leaderboard, it was a step up from the one he turned in the day before.

Woods shot a 2-under 68 and made just one bogey. He only posted three birdies, but all three came from outside of 28 feet.

He hit just seven fairways, but all of his misses off the tee weren’t that far off with the exception of a couple holes. That helped him hit all but three greens in regulation and gave him numerous birdie chances.

Unfortunately, Woods couldn’t get anything to drop. He left himself mid- to long-range birdie putts on nearly every hole, and did three-putt once.

The seven-time champion of the event wasn’t spot-on at Firestone Saturday, and visibly frustrated at times, but he was far better than he was a day ago.

See how it all unfolded:

• • •

No. 18, Par 4, 464 yards

One hole left for Tiger. Not a great round by Tiger’s standards, but vastly better than his second round – just one bogey today after four on Friday. He’ll look to finish off strong on No. 18.

• Off the tee: Solid final tee shot by Woods. He hits it 367 yards, dead center, and is about 84 yards out. Remember, though, he has struggled from this distance today.

• On the green: Tiger misses his birdie chance about a foot to the right. He taps in for par to close his third round.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 under (thru 18 holes; even for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Everyone has teed off now at Firestone. Among the leaders making early moves is John Senden, who’s 2 under through 3 holes and 6 under for the tournament. Rory McIlroy is still at 5 under for the event and 2 under through five holes today.

• • •

No. 17, Par 4, 400 yards

Tiger’s three birdies today have come from outside of 28 feet. He’s not getting every putt to fall, but it’s definitely an improvement over Friday’s performance on the greens. He’s got two holes left – he’s 1 over on Nos. 17 and 18 this tournament.

• Off the tee: No. 17 is just 400 yards, so Tiger safely finds the middle of the fairway with a 238-yard tee shot. He’s about 165 or so from the pin.

• Approach shot: Tiger hits his approach about 175 yards and finds the back fringe. That’s his first missed green in a while – and he’s visibly not happy about it – but he should still be putting from about 40 feet from the hole.

• Around the green: From the fringe, Tiger gets it to about a foot.

• On the green: Easy par for Tiger, although he’s still not pleased.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 under (thru 17 holes; even for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Rory McIlroy is now 2 under through three holes and has worked his way up into a tie for sixth at 5 under. Also, Phil Mickelson drops another shot at No. 12. He’s 3 over.

• • •

No. 16, Par 5, 667 yards

Tiger appears a little frustrated. He’s not getting any of these birdie putts to drop. Now comes the super-long, par-5 16th. Tiger bogeyed the hole Thursday.

• Off the tee: Tiger hangs his head after finding the right rough on his tee shot, which went about 290 yards. He still has some 360 yards to the hole.

• Second shot: Tiger’s back in the fairway, about 150 yards out, after about a 200-yard hit out of the thick stuff.

• Third shot: The pin is located on the front of the green, right up next to the water hazard that guards the front of the green. Tiger avoids the water and is safely on the green, although about 28 feet from the hole.

• On the green: Tiger holes another long birdie putt. That’s his third birdie of the day.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 under (thru 16 holes; even for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Rory McIlroy moves to 4 under after a birdie at No. 2. His playing partner, Dustin Johnson, also birdies to move to 4 under. Also, Phil Mickelson is struggling, but has still managed to stay at 2 over through 10 holes.

• • •

No. 15, Par 3, 221 yards

Four holes left for Tiger, who hasn’t made a lot of glaring mistakes but just can’t seem to get anything going to help him climb up the leaderboard. Now comes the last par 3 of the day. Tiger is even on par 3s today.

• Off the tee: Tiger carries the hole and is 23 feet or so from the cup. Still on the green, though.

• On the green: Nice read by Tiger on the birdie putt, but the ball, moving uphill and breaking right to left, burns the right edge of the cup. Tiger settles for par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 15 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• • •

No. 14, Par 4, 467 yards

Well, that one hurt. It was just an all-around poor hole for Tiger and as a result, he cards his first bogey of the day. On to No. 14.

• Off the tee: Tiger bounces back by finding the middle of the fairway. The drive was 277 yards and he has about 185 to the hole.

• Approach shot: He’s about 17 feet from the cup after finding the green with his approach. Not a bad shot from Tiger.

• On the green: Tiger leaves the putt about a foot short. Another tap-in for par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 14 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Nice little start for Carl Petterssen. He’s birdied his first two holes and has moved to 5 under for the event.

• • •

No. 13, Par 4, 471 yards

Tiger’s got to be feeling good about this round compared to yesterday. He’s struggled a bit off the tee and has left himself some long birdie putts, but he’s hit all but two greens in regulation and hasn’t bogeyed. He’ll now get No. 13, a hole he bogeyed Thursday and made par at Friday.

• Off the tee: Tiger misses left, again. He drove it about 340 yards, but the ball rolled into the rough. He’ll now have about 130 to the flag.

• Approach shot: Tiger finds another green, but is well off. He’ll have about a 50-footer for birdie.

• On the green: Another long, tough putt for Woods. It’s uphill quite a bit, but Tigers puts a lot of speed on his putt and rolls it well past. Now facing a 7-footer for par, Tiger misreads it and watches the ball break right of the hole. He taps in for bogey.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 13 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Phil Mickelson struggles around the green again. He chunks his chip shot and then misses a long par putt just short. He’s now 2 over through eight holes. Westwood does make birdie at No. 8, but he’s still 5 over. Also, Branden Grace makes his first bogey of the day on No. 13 and falls to 3 under. The group of Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson is about to tee off.

• • •

No. 12, Par 3, 180 yards

That last birdie could get Tiger going. Now comes the third par 3 of the day. And there’s a fairly accessible back-left pin position too.

• Off the tee: Tiger’s on the green and is about 20 feet to the right of the hole.

• On the green: Tough putt for Tiger. There’s a big break, right-to-left, and Tiger leaves it about a foot right. He does tap in for par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 under (thru 12 holes; even for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Branden Grace remains at 4 under after a huge par save from about 15 feet. Also, Lee Westwood bogeys again. He drops to 7 over after seven holes.

• • •

No. 11, Par 4, 418 yards

Tiger barely misses another birdie. Other than his long birdie putt on No. 4, Tiger hasn’t gotten anything to drop. Now he moves to No. 11, where he made birdie on Thursday.

• Off the tee: Tigers finds the left rough after about a 250-yard drive. He’s got about 160 left to the hole.

• Approach shot: With his ball in the thick stuff, Tiger finds the dance floor. He’s got about 35 feet to the hole.

• On the green: Now that’s what Tiger was looking for. He drains his second birdie of the day on a nice left-to-right putt.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 2 under (thru 11 holes; even for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: At No. 6, Phil Mickelson drives left and finds let rough again on approach. He leaves his flop shot well short and misses a par putt inches to the left to drop back to 1 over. Lee Westwood is 6 over for the day and the tournament and can’t seem to get off the bogey train. He makes another at No. 6.

• • •

No. 10, Par 4, 410 yards

Not a horrible front nine for Tiger, but not a great one either. He goes bogey-free, but also makes just one birdie and squanders several other birdie chances. He now goes to No. 10, a hole he bogeyed Friday and birdied Thursday. Tiger’s hoping for the latter today.

• Off the tee: Good start to the back by Tiger, who hits his drive 290 yards down the center of the fairway. He has about 106 to the pin now.

• Approach shot: A tricky, front hole location and Tiger ends up about 13 feet short. He’s still on the green, however, and will have a chance at birdie.

• On the green: Tiger’s birdie putt breaks just right of the hole. He taps in for another par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 10 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Braden Grace makes another birdie – his sixth of the day – and moves to 4 under. After carrying the green on the par-3 fifth, Phil Mickelson manages to save par and remains at even. Matt Kuchar has started off strong today. He’s 2 under through three holes. Also, Open Championship champ Ernie Els finished his day with a 2-under 68. He’s at 4 over for the tournament.

• • •

No. 9, Par 4, 494 yards

Tiger misses out on a huge opportunity on the last hole, leaving his approach short after a great drive. Now he’ll hope to cap his front nine strong.

• Off the tee: Not a good tee shot at all by Tiger. He makes his first big mistake off the tee today, sending his drive left into the trees. He’ll have some work to do now. He’s got about 130 yards left, but has a big tree in his way.

• Approach shot: Tiger finds the front-right greenside bunker.

• Third shot: Out of the bunker, Tiger’s ball ends up about 4 feet from the hole, setting up another short par putt.

• On the green: Tiger saves par, saving what could have been a disastrous hole.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 9 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Tiger’s playing partner, Branden Grace, closes his front nine with his fifth birdie of the day. He’s at 5 under for the round and 3 under for the tournament. Also, Lee Westwood just bogeyed No. 4 to drop to 4 over. He made double on No. 3 as well. Phil also bogeys No. 4 and drops back to even.

• • •

No. 8, Par 4, 482 yards

Tiger has found every green in regulation so far today. He’s just missed some long birdie putts and has yet to really make a mistake – he’s bogey-free. It’s safe to say he’s already playing better through nine holes today than he did all of yesterday, especially with the putter. Now comes No. 8, which he birdied Friday.

• Off the tee: Tiger bombs his drive 381 yards right down the middle. He’ll have a wedge shot coming up – he’s about 90 yards from the pin.

• Approach shot: Well, so much for hitting every green today. Tiger leaves his wedge shot just short of the green. He’s about 10 yards from the cup.

• Around the green: Tiger chips about 4 feet past, just right of the hole.

• On the green: Tiger makes another short putt to save par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 8 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: While Lee Westwood bogeys No. 2 to fall to 1 over, Phil Mickelson drains his first birdie of the day and moves to 1 under. Also, add another birdie for Branden Grace. He’s got four now after a birdie on No. 8 and is 2 under for the tournament.

• • •

No. 7, Par 3, 219 yards

Tiger moves on to his second par 3 of the day. He bogeyed the hole Friday and today’s pin position isn’t the easiest. The hole is on the right part of the green and is surrounded by a trio of greenside bunkers. With that said, there’s some room to the left to find the green and set up a potential birdie.

• Off the tee: Tiger hits 7-iron and finds green, but is about 36 feet left of the cup.

• On the green: Tiger just misses finding the bottom of the cup, but there’s still a bit of speed left on the putt. He rolls his birdie putt about 4 feet past the hole, but again saves par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 7 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson both make par at No. 1 to remain at even for the tournament. Zach Johnson birdies No. 4 to move to 1 under.

• • •

No. 6, Par 4, 469 yards

Tiger can’t be too pleased missing another birdie, but he still hasn’t made any huge mistakes. He’ll know tee off on No. 6, a hole he’s made par at in his previous two visits this tournament.

• Off the tee: Tiger misses right for the first time today, sending his tee shot 308 yards and into the right rough. He’s 150 out after that shot.

• Approach shot: With a front-left pin placement, Tiger finds the back, right of the green. He’s about 56 feet or so from the hole.

• On the green: Tiger leaves his long birdie putt about 5 feet short, but he makes his par putt.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 6 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Brandt Snedeker has birdied his first two holes of the day and is at 1 under for the tournament.

• • •

No. 5, Par 3, 200 yards

Tiger enters his first par 3 of the day after a huge birdie on No. 4. We’ll see if that putt will turn things around for Woods starting at No. 5, a hole he’s yet to birdie – or bogey, for that matter – this tournament.

• Off the tee: With a front pin location, Tiger finds the front of the green, about 9 feet from the hole.

• On the green: Tiger misses his birdie putt, rolling it about 2 feet past, and settles for par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 5 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Branden Grace makes his third birdie of the day to move to 1 under. Also, Adam Scott, Brandt Snedeker and Zach Johnson are all 1 under early in their rounds and currently sit at even for the tournament.

• • •

No. 4, Par 4, 471 yards

The putter isn’t being friendly to Tiger so far, but his misses haven’t been that far off. He’ll move on to the fourth hole, where he made bogey Friday.

• Off the tee: Another miss just left for Tiger off the tee. Woods’ drive went just shy of 300 yards, but he’s in the intermediate rough again. He’ll have about 180 yards to the hole.

• Approach shot: Tiger hits the green and is about 37 feet from the hole.

• On the green: What a putt by Tiger, who sinks the 37-footer for his first birdie of the day. That should get him going.

TIGER ON THE DAY: 1 under (thru 4 holes; 1 over for the tournament)

• Elsewhere on the course: Tiger’s playing partner, Branden Grace, has worked his way back up to even. He’s 2 under for the day after a birdie on No. 4. There are still many big names yet to tee off, including the leaders. The next pairing scheduled to begin its round is that of Lee Westwood and Phil Mickelson, who tee off in about five minutes.

• • •

No. 3, Par 4, 442 yards

Tiger moves on to the third hole of the day after just missing another birdie putt.

• Off the tee: After missing his first two fairways, Tiger drives it 315 yards right down the middle. He’s got 131 to go to the green.

• Approach shot: Tiger finds the dance floor again, but he’s still about 20 feet from the hole.

• On the green: Tiger misses his birdie putt just right and taps in for yet another par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: Even (thru 3 holes; 2 over for the tournament)

• • •

No. 2, Par 5, 526 yards

Not a bad start for Tiger. Sure, he doesn’t birdie, but that first hole has to get his confidence going with the putter. Now he moves to No. 2, a hole he’s birdied twice this tournament.

• Off the tee: Tiger misses a little left again. He’s in the intermediate rough after a 297-yard drive and is about 204 from the green. The pin location could pose a problem from where Tiger is at. It’s in a far-left position and there are two greenside bunkers guarding the left side of the green.

• Second shot: Tiger fails to carry the bunker. He’s still less than 10 yards from the cup, though.

• Third shot: Tiger is on the green in three, about 11 feet from the hole. He’ll have a putt for birdie coming up.

• On the green: Tiger misses his birdie putt by inches. He’ll tap in for a bit of a disappointing par.

TIGER ON THE DAY: Even (thru 2 holes; 2 over for the tournament)

• • •

No. 1, Par 4, 399 yards

Tiger will tee off starting on the front nine. He’ll be playing with Branden Grace. It will be important for Woods to start off strong, although he bogeyed this hole during Friday’s round.

• Off the tee: Tiger’s first drive of the day finds the left intermediate rough. Not a horrible shot, but could be better: 3-wood, 251 yards, 150 to the hole and just shy of the bunker.

• Approach shot: From a little bit of an awkward stance, Tiger finds the green. He’s still about 33 feet from the cup and will have work to do for birdie, especially considering the way he putted Friday.

• On the green: Tiger strokes a nice putt, but just misses the edge of the hole. He taps in for par.